Essays & Articles

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The University of Auckland campus is now home
to two new art works which are part of the public
art trail, initiated by the Advisory Panel for Public
Art at Auckland City Council.

The dozen works are all situated within what
planners have deemed “The Learning Quarter”, an
inner city precinct encompassing Albert Park, The
University of Auckland, AUT and surrounding
streets and neighbourhoods.

Called collectively Micro Sites, this idea for
temporary art projects in public spaces has given
13 recent graduates the chance to come up with
small scale art works which will act as subtle
interventions in a busy academic world.

Appropriately enough, the word microsite is a term
used in ecology to describe a pocket within an
environment with unique features, conditions or
characteristics. A microsite is also an internet web
design term referring to an individual web page
which supplements the primary website. These
virtual microsites are typically used to add
specialised information, neatly coinciding with the
purpose of these art works.

Meant to “run against the grain or interfere with
everyday perceptions and experiences of a place”,
The University of Auckland’s collaboration in the
Micro Sites project has resulted in the unlikely
placement of a small 1970s glass chandelier on the
roof overhang adjacent to the Recreation Centre.

Trembling slightly as
buses roar past on the
Central Connector
Corridor that Symonds
Street has become,
Fairy Bright Eyes is a
work by Ryan Monro, a
graduate of the Elam
School of Fine Arts. It
adds a little touch of
luxury to the otherwise
utilitarian modernist
architecture it adorns,
and its faded glamour
is an interesting
counterpoint to the
games of basketball
played out in the
court below.

Around the corner in Princes Street, a bronze
plaque designed by Elam MFA student AD
Schierning is embedded in the footpath. The text on
the plaque is in capital letters, and appears
handwritten, distinguishing it from other
commemorative footpath panels such as the one
on Grafton Road marking the site of the original
Auckland Philosophical Institute. Because such
plaques are common in cities and parks, this art
work is camouflaged and seems like an everyday
part of its setting. Its appearance in Princes Street
outside the service entrance to the General Library
has gone unremarked.

The intention is for the text to be read in order to
convey the uses of the leaves of the Ginkgo biloba
tree, and in particular the properties which
enhance memory. As AD Schierning has pointed
out, here at the heart of The University of
Auckland’s City Campus, where the highest
concentration of learning and research takes place,
stands a tree that itself is a symbol of knowledge,
since its leaves can assist with the retention and
distribution of knowledge.

The text which AD Schierning has chosen for the
plaque reads: “Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) Maidenhair
tree. Ginkgo has been used in traditional medicine
to treat circulatory disorders and enhance memory.
Scientific studies throughout the years lend support
to these traditional uses. Ginkgo can maximize the
benefit of studying for tests and exams. To make a
tincture, place 150g of dried powdered ginkgo
leaves or 400g of fresh chopped ginkgo leaves or
400g of fresh chopped ginkgo leaves in a jar and
cover with 500ml of vodka. Cover and store in a
dark place for four weeks, shaking the jar daily.
After four weeks, strain the mixture, pressing all
liquid from the ginkgo. Stored in a glass bottle this
will keep for up to a year. For those who wish to
avoid consuming alcohol, ginkgo tea is very simple
to make. Simply add one cup of boiling water to
one teaspoon of dried ginkgo or one tablespoon of
fresh ginkgo. Allow to stand for several minutes,
then sweeten as desired. The disadvantage to
taking ginkgo in tea form is that the required
dosage is much higher – two to three cups per day,
rather than one to three teaspoons of tincture.
“Haemophiliacs and individuals taking
anti-coagulant medication should never take
ginkgo. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should
avoid using ginkgo preparations. In addition,
ginkgo use should be discontinued at least 36
hours prior to surgery. Please respect the trees and
only harvest leaves from windfall. See your medical
herbalist for further advice. www.nzamh.org.nz”
Having held a Goethe Institute Scholarship in
Germany, and exhibited in the Sao Paolo Biennale
in Brazil, AD Schierning is also the artist behind
The Starving Artists Fund http://www.
starvingartistsfund.com and Freedom Fruit
Gardens http://www.ofourempire.com/
freedomfruit.

This latter art project aims to plant
edible gardens throughout New Zealand, choosing
sites by using a statistical scale called The
Deprivation Index. AD Schierning describes her art
practice at looking at values and what she
identifies as important, paring things back to a
basic and fundamental transaction, in order to
simplify a complex world.